Newly signed Gamecock had domestic violence charge in 2025, documents show
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story was incorrect. Jayden Gibson did not plead guilty in the case referenced in this story. He entered a “submittal,” which in Nevada allows a defendant to avoid a formal guilty plea while resolving the case through a negotiated agreement.
South Carolina football’s newest transfer portal wide receiver signee was arrested on a domestic violence-related charge in Las Vegas last spring, according to police and court records obtained by The State.
A Las Vegas Metro Police Department report shows that Jayden Gibson — who committed to USC on Jan. 4 and signed with the team on Wednesday — was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery/domestic violence in May 2025.
In a statement Wednesday, USC athletics confirmed to The State that it was aware of Gibson’s arrest and conducted a “thorough vetting process” before signing him.
The former Oklahoma receiver was arrested after police said they found evidence of “fresh injuries” on his girlfriend, who had scratches and bruises on her body and accused Gibson of grabbing, pushing and choking her, according to a police report.
Gibson, 22, suffered a knee injury during Oklahoma spring practice roughly two months before the incident and did not appear in a game in 2025. OU coach Brent Venables announced in October that Gibson was no longer with the team.
According to Las Vegas court records, Gibson ultimately agreed a plea deal in September 2025. As part of that deal, Gibson acknowledged the first-offense misdemeanor domestic violence charge, and his charge will be dismissed if he attends 26 domestic violence education classes and stays “out of trouble” for one year, court records show.
He did not formally plead guilty to the charge. He entered a “submittal” to the charge, which in Nevada allows a defendant to avoid a guilty plea while resolving the case through a negotiated agreement.
Gibson also had to pay $460 in fines and fees. He has a follow-up court appointment described as a “status check” in Las Vegas on June 16, 2026. His charge will be dismissed on that date if he meets the court’s listed requirements.
“The ONLY reason OU and I parted ways was because of injuries,” Gibson said in a Jan. 5 post on X. “Anything else being spread is false information from people who don’t know any details, just what they see on (their) phones.”
Despite publicly committing to South Carolina almost three weeks, Gibson had not signed his financial aid agreement and/or been formally announced as a transfer by USC until late Wednesday. Other transfers who committed after Gibson had been signed and announced in a much more timely manner.
South Carolina declined to make athletic director Jeremiah Donati and football coach Shane Beamer available or answer specific questions about Gibson’s admission, choosing instead to release a statement that said they vet all potential athletes, were aware of the incident in question and “based on the information we received during our vetting process, the decision was made to move forward at this time.”
Police report labels Gibson as ‘primary aggressor’
According to Las Vegas police, officers arrived on the scene of an Airbnb rental around 11:50 a.m. on May 18, 2025, after the house’s owner called 911 and reported that a guest said her boyfriend, Gibson, “had battered her and broke a door in the residence.”
Gibson’s girlfriend — whose name is redacted in the report — told police she had been dating Gibson for about two months. The couple was on a trip to Las Vegas and had spent the afternoon of May 17 at Drai’s Beachclub, the report said.
While at the club, the girlfriend told police, she and Gibson started arguing after the girlfriend noticed another woman was texting Gibson.
They returned to their rental home around 6 p.m. and continued arguing for about three hours until 9 p.m. In that timeframe, the girlfriend told police Gibson was “grabbing her and pushing her.”
“He was grabbing her right arm with such force which caused a small bruise on her right bicep and right lower arm,” the police report said. “When they were on the balcony, he pushed her against the door and wall causing a scratch on her right shoulder, right lower back, left tricep and right outer knee.”
The report continued: “She also stated that Jayden strangled her by putting his hand around the front of her throat, but (there) was no evidence of any marks on her neck. Jayden also (put) his arm on (her) upper chest/neck area and prevent(ed) her from breathing. She stated she (bit) his arm.”
Police said they documented the woman’s injuries with photos and listed injuries in six locations: two small bruises on her right arms, a small scratch on her right shoulder, two 2-inch scratches on her back, a small scratch on her left arm, two scratches on her right knee and a “broken off” nail on her right middle finger.
The police report states that Gibson was under the influence of “drugs/alcohol” and lists him as the “primary aggressor” in the incident. It states the girlfriend was under the influence of alcohol. The woman is listed in the police report at 5-foot-3 and 125 pounds; Gibson is listed at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds.
Gibson confirms argument, denies assault
A witness — whose name is redacted but appeared to be a friend of the girlfriend — was interviewed by police. She said she did not see Gibson assault his girlfriend, but she’d heard them arguing at the rental home that night.
In his statement to police, Gibson confirmed he and his girlfriend got in an argument at the club after “some girl” was texting him and then came home, but he denied assaulting the woman.
“He states that she was the aggressor and she did bite him, but he had no bite mark on his arm,” the police report said, citing Gibson’s statement. “They fell asleep and he and (redacted name) went to the strip club” around 3 a.m. that morning.
The person who went to a strip club with Gibson appeared to be a separate friend who’d traveled to Vegas with Gibson. Gibson told police that he’d invited his girlfriend and her friend on the trip as well, per the report.
Gibson, according to the police report, said he arrived back at the Airbnb after going to the strip club, fell asleep and awoke that afternoon to an email informing him his girlfriend and her friend had changed their flights to leave that day. Gibson, the report said, had paid for and booked the flights for everyone on the trip.
Gibson, per the report, said he told his girlfriend and her friend to leave, carried their luggage downstairs and called an Uber for them to go to the airport.
Las Vegas police, in the report, said that based on the fact Gibson and the woman had been dating, and her “fresh injuries from being battered by Jayden,” they arrested Gibson on one charge of misdemeanor battery/domestic violence on May 18. He was booked at a local jail.
Jayden Gibson college football, injury history
Gibson was USC’s first transfer portal pickup in 2026. He took a visit to South Carolina on Jan. 3 and announced his pledge a day later.
A former four-star prospect from Florida, Gibson signed with Oklahoma in 2022 and played sparingly as a freshman before catching 14 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore. His 26.8 yards per catch were second best on the team.
But Gibson has not played in a football game since his sophomore season in 2023. He tore his patellar tendon less than a month before the start of the 2024 season and, again, suffered a knee injury in the spring leading up to the 2025 season.
In October, Venables announced that Gibson was no longer a part of the Oklahoma program. No explanation was given for Gibson’s departure.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 1:26 PM.
